Flipkart adds 4 fulfilment, sortation centres in Maharashtra

Bengaluru: E-commerce marketplace Flipkart on Tuesday said that it has added four new fulfilment and sortation centres in Maharashtra to support local sellers from the state and cater to the growing demand for e-commerce.

The new facilities located in Bhiwandi and Nagpur are collectively spread across nearly 7 lakh square feet, helping create over 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Apart from growing customer demand, this expansion comes on the back of a growing seller count from the state which rose by 30% in the last year.

Flipkart said its sellers in the state sell everything from home décor and mobile phones to luggage and travel accessories to customers across the country.

Rajneesh Kumar, chief corporate affairs officer at Flipkart, said, “As a homegrown e-commerce company, we are continuously making deep investments in infrastructure and supply-chain in Maharashtra to support a robust ecosystem for local MSMEs, artisans, weavers and other under-served communities. We will continue to provide superior experience to our customers, keeping in mind their dynamic needs, while also creating opportunities for local sellers and generating thousands of diverse direct and indirect job opportunities in the state.”

Maharashtra is among the key centres for Flipkart from a supply chain standpoint to ensure seamless movement of goods across the country. With the recent additions and expansion of existing facilities, Flipkart has a total of 12 supply chain facilities in Maharashtra spread across over 23 lakh sq ft area, creating more than 20,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.

"Maharashtra is one of the most attractive investment destinations in the country and Flipkart’s recent investments are a welcome move for the state. Flipkart has played a pivotal role in keeping people indoors in the fight against calamities while meeting their essential requirements and I am happy to see continued investment from Flipkart, helping bring increased job opportunities and support for the sellers, MSMEs and artisan ecosystem,” said Subhash Desai, minister of industries, government of Maharashtra.

Earlier in February, Flipkart signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (MSSIDC) and Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board (MSKVIB), to bring local artisans, weavers, craftsmen and SMBs of the state into the e-commerce fold.

In addition, Flipkart is making e-commerce more inclusive for customers from western India, as the ‘Flipkart app’ has language interfaces in 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati amongst other key Indian languages.